DAESUNG SLID DOWN THE WALL. Sweat bobbled down his philtrum and onto his thick, chapped lips. His lungs expanded and contracted, trying to catch his breath.
One arm was thrown over his waist and when his bottom collided with the floor, he let out a loud groan. His groan had transformed into incoherent and erratic moans pain.
It was dark in the room, where he was. The time of day was once early but now it was growing late. With the heavy curtains that shaded the room from nearly every ray of almost vanishing sunlight, it may have seemed that it was night, which it almost was.
There was a mirror opposite of his being, facing him so he could've seen himself; the person, who he had become. It was disgusting.
His knuckles trembled as he lifted his hand to his mouth to avert any more moans from erupting. Daesung couldn't help it; all he felt was pain.
It was warm in the room but even warmer for the blood splattered upon him and his sweat. The mirror was now shattered and only a single sheet of glass stayed on the corner.
The other hand swung at the bottle next to him and took a swig of the alcohol. The substance dribbled down his chin and onto his shirt.
After drinking every ounce of the liquid, he tossed the bottle across the room, sending it crashing against the wall. His entire being stung with self-hatred.
He gradually rose up and quickly, not very thoroughly, bandaged his knuckles. The young man guiltily pat the handkerchief tied around his neck, covering the nail marks across it.
Daesung exited his home and walkedーmore like staggeredーdown the sidewalk, crashing shoulders with random people. He ignored their angry responses and continued stumbling to God-knows-where.
He honestly didn't know where he was going but his feet eventually brought him to a darker part of the city. He spotted a few people that he recognised; he hated them all.
It was near a gas station. Shoulders crashed and he earned a smack to his face. He immediately crashed to the floor, due to the slight intoxication and staggering. The men surrounded him. One of them spit on him.
"Know your place!" They yelled. Daesung's eyes rolled around in his head and this goaded the men on to more anger. They kicked at his body and he accepted it. The began to use much more force and the words grew worse. They knew who he was.
This was normal. He picked fights, without even trying. Each hit may have been excruciating but it was normal.
But not to the onlooker. To the onlooker, whose eyes barely registered the scene for the first time, this was preposterous. There was no one else there. She had to do something.
"Hey!" She yelled, with her voice deep. They looked over at her but continued onto the beating. The onlooker rolled her eyes and set her three gallons of milk aside.
Daesung could barely see anything from between his swollen eyes but could see the shadow of the figure.
The onlooker ran over to them and kicked one of the men on the inside of their thigh, with all her might. He let out a scream and collapsed backwards. They turned to her and she raised her fists.
"Back off, dudes." She warned but they attacked her. The onlooker turned to hit one of them until she was punched on the back of head so hard that she passed out. Her body that was carrying three gallons of milk met the floor and her face had dropped so it was facing away from Daesung.
Two continued with the young man and one continued with the onlooker. They grabbed her head and dropped it when they heard the gas attendant's voice.
Daesung opened his eyes and regained his strength as he lifted himself up. The gas attendant repeated, "Are you okay? Are you okay?"
The young man struggled but stood up. "I'm fine!" He spat, blood ejecting from his snarled lips. The employee, probably only 16, waved his hands around and ran back to the building. He looked over at the girl's limp body and sighed heavily.
His hands were bloody and the handkerchief had been ripped off his neck. Daesung whimpered but wrapped it around again. His burly hands hovered over her head and turned her face over.
Her coffee-colored skin was lightly harmed. Her cheek and temple had a scrape but that was it. From the angle of her neck, she had a double chin. She had a stupid look on her face. He sighed angrily and lifted her up like nothing.
It wasn't that she wasn't heavy but he was just powerful. He swung her arm over his shoulder and had the other one above her waist. Daesung staggered.
They were a few blocks away from the clinic when she murmured, "Mi leche, mi leche..." He sucked in some breath from his cheeks and yelled, "What?" She remained silent afterwards.
As soon as he entered, he immediately regretted it. There were only mothers and children but lots of children. It was only seven at night but it was pretty filled. His irritation was growing worse but he just sighed.
No one eyed him; they were all either busy with the health of their children or themselves. It was mid-November so everyone was coughing and sneezing.
He sat himself down in a chair in the corner, dropping her next to him. She collapsed and her position bothered him so he fixed her. Daesung crossed her legs and arms, and he moved her chin on top of her chest, giving her a very nonchalant position.
Hours passed. He was still bleeding from almost every side but it didn't bother him. After the first few minutes of every pain he feels, Daesung gets used to it, as if its his reality.
It was around eleven and there was only four mothers and eight children. They were all quiet and some were wheezing. The girl suddenly sat up and stared straight ahead. Daesung was startled.
He couldn't see her face but she was panting. "What in God's name?" She looked around and gasped, whipping her head at him. "Where is my motherf-cking leche?!" She cried out.
He didn't answer her but sat up, too. "Why did you try to save me?" He spat, ignoring her question. Her bewildered scowl turned into a creepy smile. "We all need saving," Her soft voice sobered him.
"Wouldn't you agree?"
